The ABC of the Automobile: The Chassis is a film in a series of auto shop training films produced by General Motors Corporation. This film uses a Chevy Monte Carlo to show off the chassis of a typical American car.
Introducing the Chassis of a Chevrolet Monte Carlo (0:31). A scene showing the engines of the Chevrolet Monte Carlo (0:44). A drawing outlining the mechanics of the Chevrolet (1:02). The narrator suggests that one could hook the crankshaft to a propeller shaft, in order for them to turn together (1:05). That method will work if there is a way of separating the car from the drivetrain (1:40). The clutch helps achieve that in using two plates held together by springs that act as friction (1:45). When the clutch is disengaged, the crankshaft does not turn the driveshaft (1:56). Clutches can be operated automatically by hydraulic components (2:23). A hydraulic clutch looks like two halves of a donut, each half with a set of blades (2:29). The halves are close together but do not touch (2:34). They are surrounded by a special case filled with fluids (2:41). When you start the car, the fluids move a little between the two halves (2:53). When you speed up the car, the fluid is moved with enough force to move the second half and the drive shaft with it, until the two halves turn together (3:05). In order to move even faster, it needs a transmission which can be automatic or manual (3:37). A transmission is a gearbox (3:44). It has a hood shaft that is turned by the engine and clutch, and an output shaft that turns the drive shaft (3:53). The gear shift changes the ways the various gears turn each other (3:57). In low gear, it takes three times the input shaft to produce one turn of the output shaft (4:05). Some manual transmissions have four or more forward speeds (4:30). There’s also a reverse setting so that you can back up the car (4:35). The clutch works with the transmission (4:48). An automatic transmission uses a hydraulic clutch and a set of planetary gears (5:02). The operation of an automatic transmission depends on the setting of the selector level, the accelerator pedal and the speed of the car (5:34). The scene portrays the drawing of the drive shaft (5:42). The universal joint is installed at the front, and each joint is made up of two yolks connected together by a cross which helps them pivot (6:18). Narrator suggests another problem could be transferring the shaft torque to the rear axle (6:39). Suggest the solution to be a differential, which is a gear system that lets wheels rotate at different speeds when making a different turn (7:12). The scene depicts the brakes of the car, which are operated by hydraulic pressure (8:07). The next scene discusses the springs of the car (10:51). The front end of the car has coils that are used to support the frame (10:56). Shock absorbers check the spring action to prevent bouncing when the wheels hit a bump (11:12). The battery and alternator is what supplies the car with the electricity for the starter and ignition system (11:27). Over 600 feet of wires bring power to more than gauges, motors, and accessories including radio and air conditioning. The film ends with a similar shot at 44 seconds, portraying the engines of the Chevrolet Monte Carlo (11:44).
We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example: “01:00:12:00 — President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference.”
This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
